Searching For His Omega - Harper B. Cole Page 0,45
arm complicated things.
In my head, there was a huge red flag attached to researching medical conditions online. Some of the sites were informative while the purpose of others was not to educate but terrify. Despite the doctor going through the different scenarios before she went home, my finger hovered over the search page. Do it. Don’t do it.
The baby had an excellent chance of survival, but I wanted him or her inside me. “This is where you belong, little one. You’re not ready for the big wide world. Stay in there a little longer, okay? Pinky swear?”
Chet wandered in chewing a breath mint. Spearmint scent instead of boiled coffee stench. Much better. “Hey, we need to talk,” I told him as he sat on the edge of the bed and stroked my palm. The dark rings under his eyes were a testament to his own lack of sleep.
“Did something change?” His eyes flicked to the monitors beside the bed.
“No. But if something happens…”
“Nothing’s going to happen other than you delivering a healthy baby. Both of you are going to be fine.”
I sensed what he was doing. He had to say the words as the alternative was too awful to contemplate. But we were grownups. I’d stared into the depths of hell after the accident and remembered the ghostly fingers of dread stroking my cheeks. I’d teetered on the edge and almost fallen in.
And while this was different in that other than staying in bed and doing what I was told, I had little control over what was happening. But I could plan for the future. “This baby will survive. I’ll make sure of that. But if in helping the little one live, I…” I stumbled over my words as Chet’s face crumpled, and there was wrenching pain in his eyes. “…You will be an amazing dad.”
“Stan, I…”
“Let me finish. And if, after a while, you meet an omega and fall in love, that’s okay.”
“You and the baby are going to be fine. Fine. More than fine. Both of you.” The way he spoke reminded me of a mantra. If he said it often enough, it would happen.”
“I love you, Chet. You came into my life at the right time. Any sooner and I wouldn’t have been ready. After the accident, I was so damaged and fearful, you might have drifted toward me and then hurried away. Thank you for loving me.”
“Always.” Chet swallowed. And swallowed again before resting his head on my shoulder. “And when you and the baby come home, I want to dance with you. Forever.”
I dissolved into floods of tears remembering that night in the kitchen. Through the times when Chet was away, I’d held the memory close.
Chet held my face in his hands and kissed away each tear until one of the damned machines made a weird beeping sound. My eyes locked on his as he pushed the buzzer for the nurse. But three people rushed into the room while his thumb was still on it.
“What is it?” he asked as the nurses shooed him away from the bed. Losing contact with his hand had me trembling and whimpering, “Chet! The baby!”
“Mr. Price, your baby’s heart rate is dropping.” A doctor raced in and scanned the printout from the monitor.
“What does that mean?” My hand rested on my bump while the other clawed at my face.
“Do something, please,” Chet begged as he stood at the bottom of the bed and held my feet. I needed him touching me because a huge yawning abyss had opened up and I was sliding toward it.
“We have to do an emergency C-section. Now. Once we get to surgery, we can have the baby out in one minute if we have to.”
One minute. One minute. I held on to that as Chet took my hand while the staff raised the bed’s side rails. He kissed my palm as I gazed at the fear etched on his pale face. Did it mirror my own? “Come with me. Don’t leave me alone.”
He ran along beside me as I was pushed along a long corridor. There were bright lights, and terse statements, and noises that hurt my head. I clutched my belly, sending what little strength I had to my baby.
“I’m sorry. But your husband can’t come in.”
“But I need him.” A stabbing pain in my head blinded me, but his scent was all around. The warmth of skin pressed on mine. Our breath mingling. I would carry that with me into the operating